Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Eastern Great Flood
Steve was checking the factory's machine shop with Nick.
The machine shop doesn't mass-produce goods; it's a department that creates jigs used in the factory, makes wooden patterns and molds. Among the workers, those with skills are made to create such one-off items.
The department head is Riley, Lala's father. He seemed to have a good rapport with the machine tools, and he was the fastest growing stock in the factory.
"Currently, orders for wooden patterns and molds from the Royal Capital and Sowell Land are increasing, so I'd like to strengthen the department a bit more."
"I say that, but I can't pull any more people from the mass production line."
"It takes time for the kids to grow up too. Can't you pull some people from somewhere else, Wakasama?"
"Every territory is in a boom and short-handed. The Merda Kingdom is also having a headache due to rising labor costs. When the economy is good, the number of births tends to increase, but they won't become labor force for over 10 years."
Currently, Archibalt Territory is making molds based on requests from other territories. Precise machining is possible with the machine tools Steve created, but there is no means to measure if the created items match the dimensions.
Calipers were reproduced at the Royal Research Institute based on what Steve made, so measurement in 0.1mm units is possible. However, that is limited to shapes that calipers can measure.
In contrast, Steve's Measurement magic can measure dimensions of any shape, and inspection gauges and jigs can be made with magic, so mold dimensions are properly guaranteed.
These things become competitiveness, and orders are increasing. Also, rental offices for designers are installed within the territory. Casting, Metal Spinning, press, and other production equipment are also equipped, so mold trials are possible.
If it doesn't go as planned here, designs can be redone immediately and orders can be placed.
Such mold creation work was increasing and income was increasing, but in proportion to that, backorders were accumulating.
"Show me the drawings for the mold orders. I'll help a little."
"I'd be grateful if you did that. You can't use magic with wooden patterns."
"Next time I want to learn such magic."
"Are you planning to get involved in trouble somewhere again?"
"Hahaha."
For work standard books to increase, one must see other mages' magic. That means getting involved in some kind of trouble, and remembering the past, a dry laugh came from Steve.
At this time, the eastern part of the Kingdom of Cascade was struck by long rains, and the water level of the great river flowing through the east, the Heiss River, had risen to a dangerous place. Also, due to bad weather, crop growth was poor, and food imports from other regions were increasing.
The Heiss River had caused large-scale floods in the past many times, and each time houses and farmland were washed away, causing great damage.
However, for the past thirty years, such floods had not occurred, and they had weathered away from people's memories.
Margrave Cleiman had also not experienced a flood during his reign, and he could not imagine the threat brought by long rains.
Looking out the window, "Food imports are increasing, tax revenue is decreasing, just like Archibalt, this hateful rain."
He muttered only that much.
However, three days later, the Heiss River's embankment broke, and the eastern region would be widely submerged. The muddy current pushed away houses and fields, and people were also washed away.
In response to this situation, nobles with territories that suffered requested support from Margrave Cleiman. However, Margrave Cleiman also had great damage to his own territory, and had no spare energy to save the faction's bastards.
Despite that, pride got in the way and he could not request support from the country, and the damage expanded.
What was watching this was the Yellow Empire and the Kingdom of Cryptomeria bordering the eastern region.
The Yellow Empire, from the reconstructed Kingdom of Cascade intelligence network, received the report of the Eastern Great Flood, and General Garrett, who manages the Empire Eastern District, immediately contacted the Kingdom of Cryptomeria.
The content was to implement joint military exercises, the location was the western part of the Kingdom of Cryptomeria. Along the border with the Kingdom of Cascade. Sent from the Empire are the Ace and King of the Sword Knights Order, Joe and Ethan, and 1000 soldiers.
Naturally, this purpose was to tense the border, gather soldiers of the Kingdom of Cascade along the border, and delay the recovery from river flooding.
The Kingdom of Cryptomeria also readily accepted this offer, and joint military exercises would be implemented.
Joe and others would depart from the Empire's port, pass through the sea between the Kingdom of Cascade and the Merda Kingdom, and go to the Kingdom of Cryptomeria.
At the time of the send-off party, Joe of the Ace of Sword conveyed to General Garrett that he was not keen on this joint military exercise.
"General, honestly I am not very keen on this joint military exercise."
"Dissatisfaction?"
"Yes. As a soldier I obey orders, but this time many casualties will occur among the commoners of the Kingdom of Cascade. Is this the work of the honorable Suit Knights?"
As for Joe, he prided himself that he was an existence to fight enemy soldiers, and he did not belong to the knight order to fight ordinary people. Ethan felt the same, and he thought it was not something they should go to anyway.
However, as for General Garrett, he did not want the enemy army to devote itself to recovery as much as possible, so he had notified the Kingdom of Cascade in advance about the navigation route for this movement. So that they would not attack the ship carrying the Suit Knights, in a form where the two were boarding.
Naturally this information was conveyed from the King of the Kingdom of Cascade to Margrave Cleiman. Although in the middle of disaster recovery, a large number of soldiers were needed to prepare for the military exercise along the border. Also decided to respond with soldiers conscripted from various places without requesting aid from the country.
As a result, dissatisfaction from commoners who could not do recovery work increased. In some places, rebellion broke out, and soldiers were needed again to suppress it, becoming a vicious cycle.
Nobles in the eastern region also had dissatisfaction centered on the damaged areas.
In this way, General Garrett's aim was successful, but this also resulted in subordinates' dissatisfaction mounting.
General Garrett understood that feeling, but since it was a good opportunity to cause damage to the enemy country without causing damage to his own country, he decided to make Joe endure the dissatisfaction.
"In the first place, we are conducting joint military exercises. We are not saying we are going to war. Therefore, gathering soldiers along the border more than necessary is the Kingdom of Cascade's business. If you really don't think about the enemy commoners' damage, it is not a military exercise but an invasion."
"That is sophistry. When the Empire is put in a similar situation, we will also be dispatched along the border."
"That's right, but at that time, if there is an Ace of Sword, it will be enough. Other soldiers can engage in recovery work. The Kingdom of Cascade does not do that because they could not prepare talent comparable to the Ace of Sword."
When Joe was told that by the General, he thought so too. In the end, how to deal with the enemy country is the country's job, and this time it was the result of the Kingdom of Cascade neglecting it.
Joe's feelings became a little lighter with the conversation with General Garrett.
And, he would go to the Kingdom of Cryptomeria.
After the send-off party, General Garrett called Joseph Frobel. This man was a political merchant based in the Empire's east, and undertook large amounts of delivery to the military.
In the general's office, a middle-aged man with a bald head and a huge body with fat flesh spoke, and this was Joseph Frobel himself.
"General, what is the reason you called me today?"
"I want you to buy up recovery materials."
"Hmm, is there a place to recover in the eastern region? Or are you planning to sell it somewhere?"
Joseph Frobel did not understand the purpose when told of recovery materials. With the information currently at hand, it is known that the Kingdom of Cascade is suffering from a large-scale flood, but it is unthinkable to buy and send recovery materials for another country. It was completely beyond consideration.
"What is bought is not within the Empire. It is bought in the Kingdom of Cascade."
"I heard that country has suffered considerable damage from the flood."
"As expected, your ears are fast."
"It is natural as a weapon for merchants. So, what do you intend to do with buying up materials?"
"I want to make them spend a large amount of money on their recovery. If the national treasury becomes tight, military expenses will be cut. Regarding materials, it is fine to sell at high prices, or make them unusable. As funds, the Eastern District's workshop budget will also be allocated. Can you do it?"
"Hmm."
Joseph thought about General Garrett's request.
The fact that it is another country is a neck, but it is a request for a speculative trade to raise the market price. I heard there is a skilled speculator named Charles Valier in the Kingdom of Cascade. I thought I had the ability to surpass that Valier, but I couldn't get an opportunity to confront him for a while.
I predicted that if I raised the market price in the Kingdom of Cascade, a famous speculator would participate in the market.
The feeling of wanting to hold the flower of victory as the conclusion of a life that is not long from now was rising.
However, I didn't know if it could be done so easily in a country that is not a neighboring country, and I couldn't answer immediately.
"If I do it, it will be raising the price of wood, but in that country, market participants must go through brokers. Those brokers are also licensed, so I don't think my large order as a foreigner will be accepted. That is the neck."
"Understood. I will prepare a merchant who can place orders on this side. Just manipulate that person well."
"Understood. Then please also create a fake ID for me to enter the Kingdom of Cascade. I cannot monitor the usual price movements from here."
"I will prepare it immediately."
From this day, Joseph began to investigate the relationship between the Yellow Empire's natural disasters and the price of wood. There was no futures system, but while looking back at past ledgers, he memorized the scale of disasters and wood demand.
However, Joseph did not know that Valier, whom he viewed as a rival, was just a cover for Steve, and the real main body was Steve.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Cryptomeria, which was asked to conduct joint military exercises by the Yellow Empire, was rejoicing at this offer.
King Cain Mil Cryptomeria thought that the Kingdom of Cascade, which expanded its territory to the northwest and south, would naturally target his country in the east next.
From spies hidden in the Kingdom of Cascade, he received reports that Margrave Cleiman was regretting being left behind by other margraves, and was aiming to expand territory whenever there was a gap. It was a situation where it wouldn't be strange to be attacked at any time, but here came long rains and floods. What was lucky for the Kingdom of Cryptomeria was that the breached embankment of the Heiss River was on the Kingdom of Cascade side, and there was no damage to the Kingdom of Cryptomeria.
And, from the report from the spy, Margrave Cleiman did not request support because he did not want to owe the country. So if you think you can get by, you can't even rescue the bastards.
If that's the case, I was relieved that they wouldn't invade for a while, and then there was an invitation from the Yellow Empire.
If it is a military exercise along the border, accidental conflicts may occur, but if the Yellow Empire sends soldiers there, it will be a war between the Kingdom of Cascade and the Kingdom of Cryptomeria-Yellow Empire alliance.
No matter how powerful the Kingdom of Cascade is, with a two-front operation, it is not scary.
Furthermore, even if there was no conflict, Margrave Cleiman would dispatch troops to the border, so recovery work would be delayed. It was an offer that couldn't be wished for more.
Thus, the situation became severe for the Kingdom of Cascade.